Leave Me Breathless: The Ivy Collection

by KL Donn

  We had a nice chat while I changed his wet diaper. He was so happy to see me when I came into his room. For a second, I was afraid he was going to shake his damn crib apart the way he was bouncing.

  I wrap some eggs up for MeMe and then get a paper towel to wipe off Henry’s hands and face. He only puts up a little bit of a fight. I set him down on the floor and he walks over to his toys and begins to play.

  After wiping down his high chair, I come into the living room and get down on the floor next to him and start doing some pushups. Henry notices what I’m doing and lies down on his stomach and then lifts and lowers his head.

  I burst out laughing because he’s really trying to do one. “Come on, buddy, you can do it.”

  After I’m done, I do sit-ups and then end it benchpressing him, which he loves. When I set him down, I find MeMe watching us from the mouth of the hallway. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” I love when she’s got that sleepy look on her face. Her hair is piled up on her head, and her eyes still have the sleepy look to them.

  “I did, thanks. Hey, my baby boy.” She picks Henry up and kisses all over his face. “How was it waking up with him? You must’ve got up quick because I didn’t even hear him.”

  “Yeah, the minute I heard him, I got up to get him. I figured you might want the chance to sleep in. I have eggs for you, so come sit and I’ll make you some toast.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know, but I want to.” I lead her to the breakfast bar and then hand her the plate with eggs and toast. I also pour her a cup of coffee doctored up just the way she likes it.

  MeMe smiles. “I could get used to this kind of service.” She takes a bite of her eggs. “Wow, these are delicious. What’s on the agenda today?”

  “It’s supposed to snow later, but I thought we could go get a Christmas tree—maybe decorate a bit.”

  MeMe’s face lights up and it makes me glad I suggested it. “That’s great. I can’t wait. Is it okay if I jump in the shower first?”

  “Knock yourself out. Oh and use the shower in my room and then you can have some privacy while you get ready.” My dick likes the idea of her being naked in the other room, but I ignore that thought… for now.

  I pick my boy up and carry him to the window, looking out. “It’s gonna snow today. Do you like the snow?”

  “Da doo loo.” I don’t want to freak out, but it sounds like he said ‘da’ which I’m assuming would be baby talk for dad, or at least I hope it is.

  I set him down and send a text to Tito. I want him to meet Henry and MeMe because then he’ll see that she is a good person who just made a mistake and hell, after our little talk, I know that I screwed up too. The only thing we can do is keep moving forward, doing what’s best for Henry.

  Sawyer: Hey man, do you have plans tonight?

  I set my phone down and grab a bottle of water. Henry stands up and toddles down the hall shouting, “Ma. Ma.” I go to get him just as my bedroom door opens and MeMe’s standing there in nothing but a towel.

  I should look away. I should turn around and leave, but that’s not what I do. Instead, I openly gawk at her curvaceous body. She’s so focused on Henry that she doesn’t see me.

  “Come here, baby,” she says and shuts the door after he walks through it.

  I go back to my phone and see that Tito responded.

  Tito: Nothing much. Thinking about hitting the clubs. What about you?

  Of course, he forgot that Henry and MeMe were going to be here.

  Sawyer: Henry and MeMe are here. I was hoping you’d come have dinner with us so you could meet them.

  The dots start bouncing.

  Tito: I’ll come over. Do I have to be nice to her?

  Sawyer: Of course and trust me, when you meet her you’re going to love her.

  Tito: We’ll see.

  I know he acts like he’s going to be an ass, but for me, he’ll be cool.

  “What do you think of this one?” I grab the tree by the trunk and hold it upright so MeMe can get a better look at it.

  She comes walking over with our son bundled up in her arms. She looks at it and then smiles at me. “I think it’s perfect.”

  Earlier, we went to Target and loaded up the cart with lights, ornaments, and a tree skirt. Luckily I only got a couple ‘is that him’ looks, but no one approached us like the day we tried to go to Five Guys.

  After that, we went to lunch at a little bar and grill, they were able to sit us in a corner booth so I could stay out of view. With Henry there, I didn’t want MeMe to have to worry about their safety and her privacy.

  Now we’ve been at a garden center that has a whole lot of fresh Christmas trees. We pick out a Douglas Fir and they run it through a machine that wraps it up and then they help me strap it to my roof.

  MeMe went inside the building with Henry because he was getting grumpy from the cold. I step inside and glance around until I find them in a line. “Hey, what are we in line for?”

  She smiles widely at me. “Santa.”

  That’s when I see the jolly old man sitting on a big red and gold throne. Henry reaches for me and MeMe hands him over. I get a good look at the shirt she put him in earlier and smile.

  It says, “My dad is my hero.” I kiss his cheek and he smiles at me and then lays his head on my shoulder. Fuck, I love it when he does this. I rest my lips against the top of his head.

  I feel eyes on me and look around. I don’t see anyone looking at me, but I just want to get this meeting with Santa over so I can get my son out of here. When it’s finally our turn, I carry Henry over to him. “Hi Santa, this is Henry.”

  He smiles at our boy. “Well, hello Henry. Have you been a good boy?”

  MeMe and I laugh because Henry is looking at Santa like he’s lost his mind. I move to set Henry on Santa’s lap and he holds on tight to me. We end up sitting on both sides of Santa and the four of us smile for the camera.

  When our picture is ready, MeMe grabs it and smiles. She holds it up so I can see it and it’s really great. MeMe, Santa, and I are smiling at the camera. Our son is scowling at Santa. “This is great. I might have a frame we can put that in.”

  After putting our coats back on, we head outside and ride back to my place. Once we do get back, we carry up what we can and MeMe gets Henry ready for his nap. The tree isn’t that heavy, and it’s easy to get it upstairs into my apartment.

  MeMe comes out of Henry’s bedroom with the baby monitor in her hand. “He’s out. What can I do to help?”

  I pull up my music app and find MeMe’s favorite Christmas music, Bing Crosby’s Merry Christmas. She sings and dances around as we get the tree set up, making me smile.

  MeMe holds onto the tree while I get it secure in the tree holder. “Do you want to get some water?”

  She goes into the kitchen and comes back with a pitcher of water. After she hands it to me, I pour it into the holder. I opted not to add the preservative to it because I don’t want Henry getting into it and getting sick.

  I stand up and look at the tree. “Does it look straight to you?”

  MeMe steps back and looks at the tree. “Yeah, it looks great.” She smiles at me and then grabs the big bag of Christmas shit.

  “Tito is coming over tonight to meet you and Henry. I thought maybe I could make some chicken quesadillas. Does that sound okay?” I open one of the boxes of lights and hand it to MeMe once she’s got the first strand plugged in.

  “That sounds great. I’m looking forward to meeting Tito.” She turns back to the tree and sings along to “Jingle Bells” while she wraps the lights around the tree.

  Once she has the lights perfect—her words, not mine, we begin placing the ornaments all around it. I open the Baby’s 2nd Christmas ornament and hang it in the front where I can see it. MeMe stands next to me and smiles. “That’s a good place for it.” She bought one to put on her mom’s tree since that’s where they’re spending Christmas Eve and Day.

  When I open the
star, I hand it to her to do the honors. She hugs it to her chest. “This is to signify both of our dads watching down on us from heaven.”

  A knot forms in my throat because not a day goes by that I don’t think about him and miss him—especially now that I’m a father myself. I’d give anything to be able to talk to him, to get his advice.

  I wish Henry, MeMe’s father, was around because if I couldn’t have my dad, then hers was always the next best thing.

  MeMe places the star on top of the tree and I grab her, pulling her into a bear hug. She cries softly against my neck, but only for about a minute before she pulls back and takes a deep breath, getting herself under control. “Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Henry would be so proud of you and the way you’re raising our son.”

  She nods slowly. “Thank you for saying that.”

  I tip her head back, kissing her forehead and then the tip of her nose. MeMe grabs the front of my shirt and my heart beats rapidly. She licks her lips and my dick twitches. I shouldn’t do it, I know it, but I lean down to kiss her lips.

  “Ma! Ma!” We both freeze at the sound of our boy’s voice.

  I lean in, resting my forehead against hers. “I’ll go get him.”

  “O-Okay.” Her cheeks are tinged pink and I want to kiss her even more, but I kiss her forehead again before letting her go.

  In the nursery, I find Henry standing up, shaking the shit out of his crib. “Hey boy. Did you have a good nap?”

  He gives me some of that baby babble and I scoop him up. After I change his diaper, I put his pants back on and take him out to the living room. MeMe comes out from the kitchen.

  Henry sees his mom and runs toward her. “Hi baby.” She picks him up, kissing him all over his face. “Come see the tree.”

  The three of us stand in front of the tree, I watch MeMe talk softly to him and he looks at the decorations in awe. I need to record this moment and I do that by grabbing my phone and snap a couple of quick photos.

  I ignore the feelings swirling around inside of me.

  13

  MeMe

  Tito just got here and I’m hiding in the bedroom. I don’t even have to meet the guy to know that he’s here to check me out and not in a good way. He either thinks that I got pregnant on purpose or that Henry is not actually Sawyer’s.

  I don’t care if he likes me or not, but I don’t want him treating my son poorly. Henry hugs his teddy from his spot on Sawyer’s bed. “Well, should we get out there, buddy?” I told Sawyer I was coming in to freshen up.

  I pick him up in my arms and step out into the hall. A deep voice booms from the living room and we step around the corner. Sawyer and Tito turn toward us. Where Sawyer is tall and lean, Tito is a little taller than me and built.

  Tito shows no reaction as we approach until he gets a look at Henry, and then his face softens and he smiles. “Wow, Sawyer, he’s the perfect mixture of the two of you.” He holds his hand out to me. “Hi MeMe, I’m Tito.”

  “It’s nice meeting you,” I say as I stick my hand in his. He gives it a quick shake. He’s not super friendly, but he’s nice enough. “Sawyer, do you want me to start working on dinner and you guys can visit?”

  “You don’t mind?” I shake my head and hand Henry over to him. “Go to Daddy.” I head into the kitchen and since he has an open floor plan, I watch as both men get down on the floor with our son.

  I smile and then start working on making quesadillas. I’ve always loved cooking and cooking for others. It takes a bit to get everything ready and then I start cooking them on the big skillet. Sawyer can eat a lot and I’m sure that Tito is the same way.

  In the cupboards, I look for and find plates. I set the table and set some diced chicken and rice in a bowl on the tray of Henry’s highchair. My boy loves his food and comes to me, hugging my legs. “Are you hungry, baby?”

  I get him situated and then cut up the quesadillas, arranging them on a plate. The Spanish rice I made I pour into a bowl with a serving spoon. I put it all on the table. “Food’s ready.”

  They come to the table and take their seats. “C-Can I get you something to drink?” I grab a Coke Zero for Tito and me and a bottle of water for Sawyer.

  Both men dig in and while they eat, there is nothing but silence, but I have to know. “Is it good?”

  “It’s delicious MeMe, thank you,” Tito says and then gives me the first genuine smile.

  “Yeah, MeMe, it’s really great.”

  After dinner, Sawyer sends Henry and me into the living room while he and Tito clean up. I grab one of the books that I brought for him and sit on the couch with him on my lap.

  With the glow of the Christmas tree as our background, I read him a story about a talking baseball—yeah, I know. I swear if he ends up hating baseball, I’ll be totally fine with it. I just want him to do what makes him happy.

  When we finish, I close the book and then set Henry on the ground. The guys join us and we all watch Henry play. Well, that is until Tito starts asking me questions.

  “MeMe, what do you do?”

  I turn toward him. “I’m a freelance editor. I do a lot of editing for romance authors and some fiction writers. I also do a little editing for an advertising agency.”

  “That’s interesting. Do you like it?”

  I smile and nod. “I love it very much. It’s getting harder working from home now that Henry is more and more mobile, but I’m considering putting him in daycare two or three days a week. Plus, it’ll be good for him to socialize with other kids his age.”

  I’m babbling, I know, but this man makes me nervous.

  “What do you think of the tree?” Sawyer asks him. I give him a relieved look and he winks at me.

  An hour and a half later, Henry falls asleep on Tito’s lap. The man has three sisters and lots of nieces and nephews, so it didn’t take long for them to become buddies.

  I stand and carefully lift him out of Tito’s hands. “You’ve got the magic touch,” I tell him and Sawyer groans. “What?”

  “Don’t tell him stuff like that, he’ll get a big head.” He stands up and kisses the top of Henry’s head. “’Night buddy.”

  “I’ll be right back.” I carry Henry into his nursery and lay him down in his crib. He snuggles in and that’s all she wrote. He sleeps so hard I think I could stand next to his bed and scream and he wouldn’t move—well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. Henry just loves his sleep.

  I watch him for a moment and my mind goes to the night he was conceived. I’ve never been the aggressor with a man, but I knew that night would probably be my last chance to be with Sawyer the way I’ve always wanted.

  The moment he entered me for the first time, it was like everything just clicked into place. I’d never felt something so right. Every time we did, it was better than the time before.

  A hand on my back startles me and I turn to find Sawyer standing behind me. “Are you okay?” he asks softly. “You’ve been in here for a while.”

  I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I just love watching him sleep.”

  Sawyer leads me out of the room and into the living room. Tito is standing up. “I’m heading out—time to go get my groove on and find me some ladies. This one is always my wingman, but he’s going to puss out on me. MeMe, it was nice meeting you and your boy is sweet.”

  I don’t know how I feel about what he just said. Sawyer and I have had a couple moments, but I know he doesn’t feel anything for me but friendship. I certainly don’t want to get in the way of his social life. “It was nice. You don’t have to stay here and entertain me if you want to go with Tito. I brought my laptop and I can always work.”

  “No, I’m staying here. Tito is just being a pain in the ass.”

  “Well, regardless, it was nice meeting you, Tito, and can’t wait to see you guys make it to the World Series this coming year.”

  He surprises me by giving me a hug.

  “I’ll be right back,” Sawyer says and then he an
d Tito disappear out into the hall.

  In the kitchen, I make myself a cup of hot chocolate, adding a very large dollop of marshmallow fluff. In the living room, I turn the Christmas music back on, but keeping the volume low in case Henry wakes.

  When Sawyer comes back in, he sits next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders. I lay my head on his shoulder. We’ve always snuggled, but things are different now.

  I lift my mug to take a drink, but he snatches it from my hand, helping himself.

  “Hey. That was mine.” He hands it back to me and he’s got a marshmallow mustache. I set my mug down and turn back to him. I reach up and use my thumb to wipe it away.

  Sawyer grabs my wrist and brings my fingers to his mouth. I hold my breath as I watch him pull my thumb to him and suck it into his mouth. I moan as he nips it. He pulls it from his mouth.

  “I want to kiss you,” he says quietly. “I want to know if what I felt that night was real or if I imagined the whole thing.”

  I lick my lips nervously because his comment makes me feel a little kernel of hope.

  “I want to kiss you too.”

  He grabs me and pulls onto his lap. Sawyer grabs my face and pulls it down to his. He hesitates for a second and I’m afraid he’s going to stop it before it even starts, but instead he kisses me softly.

  Our lips glide together and then his tongue licks the seam—my mouth opens and when his tongue touches mine, I taste the sweetness. His fingers slide up into my hair and Sawyer grips it tight in his fist.

  I moan as my tongue duals with his. I move around until I’m straddling his lap. I can feel he’s hard and drop my weight until I’m able to grind against him. It doesn’t take long before things get heated between us.

  Sawyer pulls my head back and his lips travel down my chin to my neck, licking and sucking at my sensitive flesh. His hands move down my back and then slide under my shirt. With ease, he pops the closure of my bra.